Juliet Ralph - Stepping up to CEO
Learning to lead a law firm… without being a lawyer
Juliet co-founded an employment law firm with her husband in 2018. From the outset, they made a conscious decision to build a business that reflected who they were, rather than replicating the conventions of traditional law firms.
The firm grew steadily. Clients remained loyal. The team expanded. Over time, the business became known for being professional, human, and clear in its values.
Alongside this external success, Juliet was navigating a quieter internal challenge. She was leading a law firm without being a lawyer.
The internal challenge
For a long time, Juliet questioned her authority within the business. She often led with the explanation that she was not a lawyer and worried about how this would be perceived by clients and by the lawyers she employed.
Despite having extensive experience across marketing, sales, training, events, and operations, she struggled to see these skills as legitimate foundations for leadership. The imposter narrative sat beneath her confidence and influenced how she showed up in her role.
The tension between her responsibilities and her self-perception became increasingly uncomfortable. That discomfort eventually prompted her to seek longer-term support.
Quote from Juliet - the problem/what life was like
The work together
Juliet and I have worked together one-to-one for over two years. During this time, she has also taken part in group programmes, Trailblazer Days in nature, and The Rewilding retreat.
Each of these spaces offered a different context for reflection and integration. The work remained consistent in its focus, which was to help Juliet understand herself more clearly and lead from alignment rather than expectation.
The work was not about changing who she was. It was about recognising the coherence of her experience and the value of the path she had taken.
Reframing identity and leadership
Over time, the belief that she was “not a lawyer” shifted. What had once felt like a limitation began to be understood as a differentiator.
Juliet’s varied career history, which had previously felt fragmented, revealed itself as preparation. The skills she had developed across different roles were directly relevant to building and leading a values-led business.
As this understanding settled, her confidence became steadier. She stopped defending her position and began to inhabit it.
Quote from Juliet - the first impressions/start of the journey
Reframing identity and leadership
Over time, the belief that she was “not a lawyer” shifted. What had once felt like a limitation began to be understood as a differentiator.
Juliet’s varied career history, which had previously felt fragmented, revealed itself as preparation. The skills she had developed across different roles were directly relevant to building and leading a values-led business.
As this understanding settled, her confidence became steadier. She stopped defending her position and began to inhabit it.
Stepping into the CEO role
In 2025, Juliet formally stepped into the role of CEO. This was not a rebrand or a symbolic gesture. It was a natural alignment between title and lived leadership.
By this point, she was already making clear decisions, setting boundaries, and leading the business with consistency. The CEO role simply reflected the authority she had already grown into.
A broader sense of purpose
As Juliet’s internal authority stabilised, she began to articulate a wider sense of purpose. Through conversations with other women in law, she became increasingly aware of how many experienced female solicitors feel constrained by traditional structures that prioritise output over wellbeing.
Juliet now sees her own journey as evidence that alternative ways of working and leading are possible. If she could co-found and lead a successful law firm without being a lawyer, then women who are lawyers may have more freedom than they realise.
This marked a shift from self-questioning to self-trust.
Quote from Juliet - (about this section)
Outcomes
In her work, Juliet now leads with clarity and confidence. Decisions are made more efficiently and with less internal friction. Her role feels defined rather than defended.
In herself, the imposter narrative has softened. It has been replaced by a grounded sense of self-belief rooted in experience rather than comparison.
Looking ahead, Juliet is exploring how to support other women in law to build careers and businesses that reflect who they are, rather than who they are expected to be.
Who this work supports
Juliet’s story will resonate with founders and senior leaders who appear successful externally but feel misaligned internally. It is particularly relevant for those who sense they have outgrown an old identity and are ready to lead from steadiness rather than pressure.
Quote from Juliet - the result/transformation